| Full given name: | Ashley Elizabeth Atkinson. I changed the spelling of my first name in 6th grade, because I knew too many girls named Ashley, and nobody would call me "Michelle." Even when I begged them. |
| Hometown: | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Audition song: | "When You're Good To Mama"...Anything I can do a little bump-and-grind to makes me happy. |
| Special skills: | Roller derby. Whistling the opening of Guns 'n' Roses' "Patience" —perfectly. Imitating Cher, Macy Gray, and Michael McDonald — poorly. |
| First Broadway show ever saw: | My Fair Lady with Richard Chamberlain |
| If you could go back in time and catch any Broadway show, what would it be? | Either Joel Grey's Cabaret, or Gwen Verdon's Damn Yankees. |
| Favorite showtune: | "Wicked Little Town" - Hedwig and the Angry Inch |
| Most played song on your iPod: | TIE: "Bikini Girls with Machine Guns" by The Cramps, and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" by the Bob Seger System. |
| Web obsession: | www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com |
| Last book you read: | "Underworld" by Don DeLillo. My boyfriend bought it for me, and I recommend it to EVERYONE. |
| Must-see TV show: | "The Daily Show" |
| Last good movie you saw: | My friend Stellianie took me to a screening of "Youth in Revolt," and it was all I could talk about for a week. |
| Favorite board game: | FARKLE! |
| Performer you would drop everything to go see: | Tom Waits. But before she passed on, it would have been Nina Simone. |
| Pop culture guilty pleasure: | "America's Next Top Model." Soooo ashamed. I watch it on my computer because I don't want Nielsen to know. |
| First stage kiss: | I kissed Allyn Schriver in our school production of Oliver!, when she was Bet and I was The Artful Dodger. It was on the cheek, but still pretty scandalous for the fifth grade set. Drag's sort of frowned upon in Little Rock private schools. |
| How you got your Equity card: | Playing Helen in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig — an incredibly lucky break because I was only a year out of acting school at the time. |
| Worst onstage mishap: | An actor's hair product once rubbed off on my face when I nuzzled him onstage. Totally oblivious, I spent the rest of a love scene with a beard of dark hair fibers completely covering my cheeks and chin. I couldn't figure out why the audience kept giggling! |
| Who have you played on "Law & Order"? Which edition? | Homeless Girl Who Identifies Dead Man From Photo on "L&O" Classic (with Misters Orbach and Martin), and director of the "Lorelei Mailer Show" on "Criminal Intent." I'm an SVU away from the trifecta! Keep your fingers crossed for me! |
| Pets' names: | I'm not even allowed to touch the plants on our fire escape. |
| Favorite junk food: | In winter, pudding. In summer, pudding pops. |
| Who would play you in the movie? | Philip Seymour Hoffman...the man can do anything! |
| Worst job you ever had: | Selling designer imposter perfumes in parking lots as part of a pyramid scheme. The worst day of waiting tables was better than the best day at that (loosely-termed) "job." |
| TV or commercial gig you most enjoyed: | I made three music videos for MTV as "Chunky Pam," a plus-size, white girl rap star outta New Jersey. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd ever get to be a rapper. It was a joy from start to finish. A wonderful group of people worked to make those videos happen, and any audition that involves Salt 'n' Pepa's "None of Your Business" is bound to be awesome, y'know? |
| Leading lady role you've been dying to play: | There are two: Josie in Moon for the Misbegotten, and Queen Doris if anyone EVER does a stage version of "The Forbidden Zone." And if you don't know about "The Forbidden Zone," you need to Netflix it. Like, now. |
| What Shakespearean role would you play forever if you had to? | I would be incredibly sad if I could only play one. There are so many good ones! That said... I do love Beatrice... |
